contact: mariucav@gmail.com

Research Interests

• Prehistoric archaeology (Neolithic and Chalcolithic)
• Lithic technology and chipped stone industries
• Use-wear (traceological) analysis
• Experimental archaeology Cucuteni–Trypillia cultural complex
• Interdisciplinary approaches to prehistoric communities

Biography

Diana-Măriuca Vornicu is a researcher (CS III) at the Institute of Archaeology of the Romanian Academy, Iași Branch, where she has been active since 2014. She obtained her PhD in History in 2012 from the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, with a specialization in prehistoric archaeology. Her research focuses on lithic industries and the technological and functional analysis of chipped stone tools, with particular emphasis on use-wear studies and experimental archaeology. She has contributed significantly to the understanding of Precucuteni and Cucuteni communities in Eastern Romania through both analytical and field-based research. She has participated in numerous archaeological excavations and interdisciplinary projects and has coordinated recent fieldwork at sites such as Ursoaia and Românești. She is a member of the European Association of Archaeologists and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Lithic Studies.

Selected publications

Books

Vornicu, D.-M., 2024, The Chipped Stone Industries of the Precucuteni Communities in Eastern Romania. Case Studies of the Settlements at Isaiia and Târgu Frumos, Cluj-Napoca: Editura Mega, ISBN 978-606-020-838-9.

Edited volumes

Gluhak, T., Vornicu, D.-M. (eds.), 2020, Proceedings of the 2nd Meeting of the Association for Ground Stone Tools Research. Mainz 2017, Journal of Lithic Studies, Special Issue 7(3).

Articles

Vornicu, D.-M. et al., 2024, Preliminary investigations on the chipped stone industry of the Copper Age settlement of Malnaș Băi (Covasna County, Romania), Journal of Lithic Studies, 11(2), DOI: 10.2218/jls.8866.

Tencariu, F.-A. et al., 2022, Science Revealing Ancient Magic: Phytolith Evidence from the Early Chalcolithic Site of Isaiia (Eastern Romania), Biology, 11, DOI: 10.3390/biology11081102.

Vornicu, D.-M., 2020, Sickle inserts in the Early Chalcolithic settlement at Isaiia. A techno-morphologic and use-wear study, în: Archaeologica Ressoviensis, Rzeszów, p. 473–484.

Vornicu, D.-M., 2020, The chipped stone industry from the Chalcolithic in eastern Romania: a literature review. I. Raw material procurement and the blade technology, Arheologia Moldovei, XLIII, p. 7–24.

Vornicu, D.-M., 2016, On the Wear from the Carinated Artefacts in the Aurignacian I Layer in Mitoc – Malu Galben, în: C. Chirica, C. Ichim (eds.), Les Aurignaciens. Leur création matérielle et spirituelle, Târgoviște: Editura Cetatea de Scaun, p. 257–272.

Crandell, O., Vornicu, D.-M., 2015, Aspects of Long Distance Trade by the Precucuteni Culture, Transylvanian Review, XXIV(2), p. 85–108.